CNN: one of the world’s most Instagrammable hotels is in Budapest – photos!

The Mystery Hotel Budapest is full of optical illusions and is designed for likes on social media.

According to CNN, there is much more to that boutique hotel than what first meets the eye. For example, there are countless lightboxes on the walls, displaying animated pictures that change several times a day, and an elevator partially hidden by velvet curtains. There is a room where you can lie against a headboard with a version of Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring“, where the “girl” has an iPhone in her hand, or a “party girl” interpretation of Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa“, complete with VIP passes to Budapest’s Sziget Festival. Furthermore, if you happen to get into the Pythagoras meeting room, you will have to figure out how to open it yourself.

CNN says that the Mystery Hotel located in the 6th district (Terézváros) is

one of the most thrilling hotels in the city.

Once, it was the main headquarters of the Symbolic Grand Lodge of Hungarian Freemasons, inspiring its enigmatic theme today. The fact that it has quickly become one of the most Instagram-friendly places to stay in Budapest is not by chance. The hotel’s designer, Zoltán Varró, admitted to CNN that he had “likes” in mind when conceptualising the property. He added that social media is vital; people keep searching for places that

are not only safe but also special.

Viktória Berényi, the director of business development at the Mystery Hotel, says that social media has helped to bring in a large number of bookings. “First impressions are everything,” said Berényi. Pictures shared on Instagram helped the hotel a lot to become famous among the visitors of the Hungarian capital.

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The building of the hotel was once the centre of Hungarian freemasonry, but after 1920, the building went on to serve as a military hospital. During the Communist era, it housed the Ministry of the Interior and, unfortunately, all the freemason aspects were completely covered. Therefore, it needed to be restored, and today, it is much like it was in the 19th century.

Although the entire hotel is filled with chandeliers, the largest one hangs directly over a marble chessboard floor area in the Great Hall. At the far end of the room, two iron spiral stairs lead up to the gallery, where

a private dining area designed for larger groups can be found.

Lit up by candles, the grand staircase is one of the various elements preserved from the original building, which dates back to 1896, along with the main doors. Mr Varró has preserved various motifs used in Masonic symbolism around the buildings, along with sculptures of a sphinx, a square, and a compass.

There are

three different suite styles: Doric, Ion, and Corinthian.

The Doric rooms, which overlook the hotel’s courtyard and the Secret Garden Spa, hold English Victorian-style features and are decorated in various shades of green. Meanwhile, the Ion rooms are based on the upper floors of the hotel and possess a French mansard style. Finally, the Corinthian rooms hold Baroque-style furnishings, such as burgundy velvet curtains.

Located on the sixth floor, the Atelier Suite is probably the most unique in the building. Designed to resemble a painter’s studio, it holds a marble staircase, brick walls, huge paintings, and dozens of rugs. Even the TV stand takes the form of an art easel.

The suite is often requested for private gatherings, with the likes of Italian luxury fashion house Dolce&Gabbana hiring it for private events.

Even the hotel’s spa does not disappoint anybody visiting the Hungarian capital. It has a Baroque garden feel, with dramatic palm trees and a beautiful fountain. Guests have the option to relax on day beds, slip into the sauna and steam room, or opt for some of the many cosmetic or body treatments and massages on offer.

Mystery Hotel Budapest, 1064 Budapest, Podmaniczky utca 45; +36 1 616 6000

Source: cnn.com